Survey: Some Say Internet May Increase Performance

Jan 13, 2005

According to a new Greenfield Online Survey commissioned by pogo.com -- an online game service, Internet users say the Web is having a definite impact not only on how they work, but on how well they work. Bill Gassman of the Gartner Group believes that "personal usage of the Internet actually improves productivity in many cases, and the overall 'cost' to enterprises is negative. By providing employees the opportunity to have access to private surfing, the enterprise is increasing people's personal productivity." Most respondents agree with this attestation, as only 4% of workers report that their boss or other work supervisor has commented or complained about the amount of time they spend online at work. In contrast, 9% of workers believe their work performance has declined as a result of the time they spend on the Internet. Additionally, 13% of workers state that access to the Internet makes it more difficult for them to stay focused at work. The Internet also has impacted the routines of workers in numerous other ways. For instance, 10% of workers now stay after business hours just to use the Internet at work. This practice is more evident among high-income workers, as 20% of workers earning $75-$100K stay late, compared with just 8% of workers earning under $35K. Along with using the Internet as a personal reference tool, many workers use it to regularly check their e-mail. A reported 74% of workers check their e-mail one-to-five times a day and 8% check more than 15 times in a single day. Probably the most significant result of this survey reveals workers' growing dependence on technology: 34% disclose that they prefer communicating with others about business via e-mail rather than in person.